India gripped by ancient wrestling as Kabbadi turns professional

India's leading sports channel aims to bring the glitz and glamour of T20
cricket to a traditional village sport

India's medal haul at the Commonwealth Games has been eclipsed by the glitzy launch of Kabbadi, an ancient form of wrestling, as a professional televised sport.

The Pro Kabbadi League, promoted by Rupert Murdoch's Star Sports channel and leading Indian industrialist Anand Mahindra, has become a mainstream hit since its star-studded launch in Mumbai last weekend.

Its first match, between U Mumbai, owned by film mogul Ronnie Screwvala, and the Jaipur Pink Panthers backed by leading actor Abhishek Bachchan, was watched by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, and several of Bollywood's biggest stars - Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai.

The league's backers hope its eight teams can follow the success of cricket's lucrative T-20 Indian Premier League.

It was not, however, an obvious television hit. It is a visually challenging spectator sport in which one raider seeks to touch as many opponents as possible before returning to their own side of the court without being caught and while chanting 'kabbadi' to show they are not drawing breath. They win a point for each opponent touched and a bonus if they can burst through to the line behind them. Opponents often hold hands to trip the raiders or simply sit on them to force them to breathe. It has similarities to 'British Bulldog'.

The ancient seven-a-side game is fiercely popular among India's burly northerners in Punjab and Haryana and has strong followings in Indian communities from Britain and Canada. It is played with passion in Pakistan and Bangladesh. It has not however, until now, found a fan base in south India.

Its promoters and supporters believe that the presence of the Telegu Titans and Bengaluru Bulls from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka will win new southern fans.

An Indian kabbadi player (R) is tackled by his Pakistani opponent during the 2008 Sri Guru Gobind Singh Kabaddi Series in Gopalpur Majwind village (Getty)

Former Indian MP Shahid Siddiqui said he had been hooked by the Pro Kabbadi League and had loved the game since he played it at school as a child. It had, he said, been India's favourite sport until cricket eclipsed it in the 1960s.

"Cricket was an elite thing, but Kabbadi was a people's game. You don't require anything, just your body, your breathing stamina, strategy and teamwork" he said.

He believes it could become a global sport and said one of the opening games between Dabang ("fearless") Delhi and the Bengaluru Bulls had highlighted its excitement: Despite having stronger players, Delhi were beaten by the superior strategy of their lightweight southern rivals.

"Sometimes one man can defeat the other team", he said.

Ayaz Memon, a leading sports commentator, said the sport could be both popular and lucrative.

"It will never be a competitor to cricket, but it's cheap, indigenous and fast. It has real potential as a televised sport. I think it can fly," he said.